Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is an excellent new entry into the world of premium sound systems by one of the world's premier manufacturers. The setup and sound quality were very good, with a few new things to get used to for owners of previous Sony soundbars. Getting it out of the box, I immediately noticed that it seemed a little more trim than previous systems from Sony. It measures 51.25" wide, 2.5" tall, 4.5" deep, and weighs just over 12 pounds. In the box, there is the soundbar, the power cord, the remote, batteries for the remote, a HDMI cable, a wall mount bracket, a wall mount template, and some paperwork. There have been some changes to the design from past years. Gone is the front display; instead the soundbar is encased in acoustic fabric except for the back. I was able to quickly get the soundbar where I wanted it, hooked up to my TV, and powered on. The back of the soundbar has HDMI IN, HDMI Out (eARC), and a S-Center out. I went with a basic setup and connected a HDMI cord from the HDMI OUT to my TV. It seems like in the past, there were more HDMI options in previous models but this setup will work for most use cases. One critical action I took was to download the Bravia Connect App onto my phone. While there is a basic remote, many of the features and most of the commands can be done via the App. While I am not a big fan of having a soundbar that needs an app to optimize its capabilities, it is quite a nice app and easy to use. One of the features is Sound Field Optimization which takes the characteristics of the room that the unit is in to optimize the sound quality for the conditions. It took some time to get right using the app, but I was able to complete it after a couple tries. The soundbar has 13 speaker units that are facing in many directions under the acoustic fabric, and they do a tremendous job in producing amazing sound. Here are some of the formats that are supported: Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, and IMAX Enhanced. It also supports 4K HDR, 8K HDR, Dolby Vision, and HDMI 2.1 gaming features like 4K120, VRR, and ALLM. I was able to verify many of the gaming features with my PS5, and I could tell that they made a difference. One of the new things to get used to is that nothing shows the volume level for the sound bar since the front display panel is no longer there. It can be seen on the Bravia Connect App, but otherwise there is now just a small light on the soundbar that doesn't tell the user much. When it comes to the audio itself, the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 makes everything sound really good. I cranked it up to watch some orchestra music on YouTube and the level of detail I could hear made me smile. With my PS$, game sound was crisp and clear. With movies from Netflix, dialogue was clear and action scenes sounded like I was there in the scene. I have a soundbar in another room that utilizes a subwoofer and I have to say that I think it handles bass a little better but at the cost of clarity. The Theater Bar 9 may not produce the biggest booms I've ever heard from a sound system, but the fidelity is just so good even with the volume cranked up to a high level. I would recommend the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 for any TV watcher, movie watcher, or game player. Make sure you download the app or you won't be able to take advantage of the immense capabilities of this system. It looks good, feels a little smaller and lighter, but still produces a tremendous sound at high quality levels that will please anyone looking to enhance their listening pleasure.

Not happy with this unit, constant loss of sound, also do not fee the effect I felt at the store.

This is the worst sound I ever heard. Should not crackle nooses at a volume of 10! I need to return if I have time.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 is a home theater sound bar that takes surround sound to the next level just using a soundbar. Traditionally if you wanted a great surround sound experience you needed multiple speakers place around the room in order to experience cinematic quality sound. Sony has done a great job with the placement of the 13 speakers and in combination with their 360 spatial sound mapping technology are able to deliver theater quality sound that can be optimized to whatever room you have set you soundbar up in. In regards to the setup the soundbar itself can be mounted to the wall under your tv or it can be placed on your console. This sound bar is quite long so it may look strange if you mount it on a wall with a TV that is less than 65 inches. Unfortunately the initial setup must be completed via the Bravia connect app which requires you to register for a Sony account. Once registered you pair the sound bar via the app and are able to customize your listening experience. The sound bar can be optimized for your room via the room optimization feature so that your can have the best possible cinematic experience. The soundbar is compatible with DTS:X, IMAX enhance and Dolby Atmos. It worked flawlessly in conjunction with my Apple TV 4K. The only issue I had when first using the soundbar was attributed to my HDMI cable so make sure you are using a good high quality HDMI cable. One thing that I wish was that SONY placed some sort of display or an embedded dot matrix display similar to my old Samsung soundbar so you can see the current mode of the soundbar without relying on the app. Sony does include a remote centrol and wall mount bracket is the box along with the wall mount template. I decided to place my soundbar on the console since it looked nicer in my setup. I also love that I can stream music from my phone via airplay 2, Spotify connect or a simple bluetooth connection. Hand down this soundbar delivered a truly cinematic experience in my family room. I think I will purchase the SA-SW3 or SW5 wireless subwoofer since I am a sucker for bass. You can also pair SA-RS3R or RS5 rear speakers wirelessly if you are looking for a more traditional setup. Overall if you are in the market for a sound bar that will deliver exceptional sound then you can put your trust in the Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9.

My neighbors most likely hate me by now with how many soundbars I have owned over the years, and how they progressively gotten more advanced, more powerful with their wattage, more codecs, more features and more oomph! I have tried soundbars from many different brands and was excited to try out the Bravia Theater Bar 9. I own a 65" LG C2 TV for anyone who is wondering how the compatibility is with LG TVs. Let's go over this soundbar and it's highs and it's lows. INITIAL SETUP: Setup was fairly easy and straight forward. However, like most tech now and days, it requires you to sign into an app on your phone, create an account with the vendor, and go through their configuration process. I had no problems adding the soundbar via the app and everything seemed to connect without a hitch. I also wall mounted my sound bar, and the provided template was very useful in getting it level and in the perfect position below my TV. PROS: - When it works properly, the sound field with 360 spatial audio mapping is pretty neat and really immerses you in the content you are watching. But sadly this PRO is very limited, see more in the cons list... - Incredible soundstage. With 13 speakers including two side tweeters, this thing really can pump out some truly immersive sound. Paired it with a SW-3 subwoofer and the results are incredible paired together. - The app is NOT buggy! This is actually a pretty big deal considering most soundbar apps I have used in the past are trash, they never connect to your device, have constant pairing issues, but not this one. This is the one app that has consistently connected no matter what. - Atmos/DTX content plays without a hitch and sounds incredible. CONS: - Sound field.... while it is a PRO, it honestly is probably more of a con due to how bad it can be sometimes. The only time sound field works well is when you are playing Dolby Atmos or DTX content. If you are playing stereo content, or even 5.1 content with dolby surround, the sound field set to the 360 spatial mapping sounds like trash. It is so incredibly harsh on the high ends, voices sound like they are in tin cans, the mapping gets all weird, it's pretty terrible. It's so bad, that sometimes when I am watching YoutubeTV via my Roku, I have to just turn the soundbar off because I can't hear any dialogue and everything is muddy. But if I launch say netflix and play a dolby atmos movie, man does it sound incredible!! Not only does sound field work half the time, but I find it incredibly annoying that you have to constantly open the app to switch between "360 spatial mapping" and "dolby virtual surround sound" for the sound field type in advanced settings. Everytime I switch between live TV and a movie, I have to launch the app, and then find that setting, change it, wait a few seconds for it to calibrate and then it's good. Sony needs to re-evaluate sound field and optimize it because it only works well on very little content. - No ability to customize EQ. This is such a L for Sony. It really perplexes me that I can't even adjust the level of Highs or Lows or Mids or the center.... the only thing you can do is adjust the bass level. And if you don't have a subwoofer, its either LOW MEDIUM OR HIGH, like really?? If you do have a sub, you get to set a level from 1-10. I hope in a future update they add the ability to EQ certain frequencies because it needs it. - Confusing settings in the app with no explanation of what they do. - Auto volume leveling seems to be required to be enabled if you use the 360 spatial mapping otherwise you won't be able to hear anything - No useful LED information on the soundbar, you get one dot that says its on, but no volume level gauge, nothing! - Bad depth of bass without a subwoofer. You basically need a sub with this bar to get any real use out of it. This is unlike other brands where the built in sub tweeters in the bar themselves are much more powerful, the ones in the Sony are very muddy and weak, I believe it starts at 50hz which is quite high for bass frequencies. All in all, this soundbar has some potential to be the AMBEO killer but it isn't there yet. The very weak center channel, lack of EQ, bad sound field setting, high price point, and marriage to an app are the reasons I have to give this 3 stars.

Sound quality is questionable, along with total tech.

We have a den that the kids use with a 65” Vizio TV mounted on the wall. The sound from the TV speakers is barely adequate, so I use a high-end 2-channel stereo system that is primarily used for a turntable and streaming music. The sound is good, but being just stereo audio, it lacks the cinema sound I was wanting. I found this BRAVIA soundbar and decided to give it a try. The first thing I noticed about this soundbar was its weight. It’s not too heavy to worry about hanging it on the wall with its included brackets, but it’s definitely no lightweight. It’s about what I expected with it having 13 speakers. The soundbar itself is very sleek and minimalist, which I like. For now, I have it sitting on a table. It has built-in rubber feet for sitting flat. but it also comes with additional legs that will elevate it about half an inch, which can be helpful in case it needs to sit above the feet of the TV’s stand. The included instructions are all but useless. They are so full of various language translations that it’s nearly impossible to read them, and there is twice as much information about the warranty and safety warnings than actual usage instructions. About the only thing you’ll learn from reading the instruction sheet is how to wall-mount the soundbar. You will need to use the QR code to visit Sony’s website in order to get full instructions on attaching the feet, connecting inputs, Bluetooth pairing, controls, indicators, etc. You are required to download The BRAVIA Connect app and register an account before using the soundbar. The app offers no more functionality than the included remote, and it has no guides for connecting or installing the soundbar. I see no reason why it is a requirement for using the soundbar other than giving Sony additional, personal information. Requiring an app like this is a huge hinderance and one of the reasons for my low rating of this speaker. The soundbar only supports HDMI and Bluetooth inputs. There are no optical or analog input options. It does have two HDMI ports, one that is input-only to use for passthrough connections and the another for output/ARC. The passthrough input port is covered so that you are encouraged to use output/ARC port. I did not try using the input-only HDMI port, but the ARC port works just fine, as does Bluetooth. I will note that when I first connected the soundbar to my TV, I was unimpressed with the sound. It definitely did not give me any “surround sound” imagery. Then I realized that my TV was set to output stereo only because that is all my existing 2-channel receiver would accept. Once I changed the TV to bitstream output, the soundbar then recognized the Dolby encoding and produced good surround sound. The ARC connection supports synchronized power and volume via the TV’s remote. Now, for the reason I chose this soundbar – the sound! It’s definitely worlds better than the TV”s built-in speakers, and also much more exciting than my 2-channel stereo’s. The soundbar does a fair job of emulating surround sound. My room is large and has no back wall because it’s a balcony open to the foyer below. I did run the Sound Field Optimization, but it made no real difference that I could tell. My guess is that without nearby walls, the soundbar can’t take advantage of sound reflections to help emulate rear and side speakers. Still, there is definitely a wide sound field being produced that does help immerse you in the movie. This soundbar does a much better job reproducing midrange and highs than lows and bass. There is a surprising amount of bass produced from tis small speakers, but it is quickly overwhelmed and drowned out when the highs and mids takeover. There is two models of optional wireless subwoofers available, as well as two models of wireless rear speakers, which I am sure would make a much better home theater experience. The problem I have with that is cost, and that’s another reason for my 3-star rating. The price of this soundbar has it competing with much higher-end equipment, but it does not perform at that level. Don’t get me wrong, this soundbar is good, but there are so many comparable options at a third of its price. And if you did choose to add the additional wireless subwoofer and rear speakers, you’d have spent enough money to buy a home theater receiver along with wired speakers. I was really expecting more from this soundbar given its price, but it’s not as high-end as it would seem. I really can’t recommend since there are so many other options out there that are as good or even better for less money.

I've been waiting to see what Sony would be cooking up this year coming from the A7000 and I'm pleased to say there's a number of improvements that makes this one of the best soundbars I've every owned but there's also a number of what I consider backsteps that may not be for everybody. Getting into the design, the Theater Bar 9 comes in a much smaller and slender package than the A7000 did. It's entirely wrapped in an acoustic fabric thats vogue nowadays besides the very back of the bar that gives way to a slim metal bezel. For those that were annoyed by the A7000's reflective glass top this will likely be much more palatable. Unfortunately this is where we come to the first of the downsides. Since the entire front half of the bar is wrapped in fabric, that unfortunately means the loss of the front display that has been a staple of sony soundbars for the past few years. In its place, we get an LED dot that has been maligned in the past. Don't expect this LED dot to be useful for providing any sort of info about the source or any other issue, but thats why we have the new Bravia Connect app to save the day. The Bravia Connect app is the new way for both seeing info about your source and also for adjusting settings. Unfortunately, that also leads to the next cut back, no on screen display. Sony has joined the league of products that are fully managed through an app. For some people this is preferred while for other this is a major inconvenience. I personally miss the well designed OSD especially since you could fully control it with your tv remote if you had a bravia tv. Fortunately for Sony, the app is much better than the previous Music Center app. Its well designed with quick, practical placement of settings and source info. Besides some initial connection issues with the app while setting up, I havent had any issues with using it. Moving onto the inputs and supported casting protocols, we get to the last of the negatives of this soundbar. The first of which is that we've moved from 2 HDMI inputs to 1. Especially when Bravia tvs only have 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, reducing the inputs on the flagship bar down to 1 is not ok. In addition, somehow the removal of the 1 HDMi port has made connecting cables harder since the angled gap is much narrower than the A7000. Onto the second cutback, chromecast audio casting has been removed. I cant really forsee any real reason for its removal unless its tied to the removal from the on-screen display since im unsure if products need to actually be able to show visual info for support. With those negatives out of the way lets get to the positives. The audio on this bar is absolutely fantastic. The addition of the sidefiring speakers and the tweeters to fill out the LCR channels lets the bar really sing and fill out the soundstage. For anyone like me, that felt that there was a bit of detail missing from the A7000 in the smaller things like dropped shell casings or wind whistling through the air, the new speakers more than do justice to these more gentle sounds. Onto more positives, I can say that the buzzing that had afflicted previous models when using the acoustic center audio feature is no more. Now you just have a nice, clean sound. Speaking of which, voices have also gotten a clarity boost presumably due to the addition of a tweeter. I've no longer had to baby the volume to balance between intelligibility of dialogue vs loudness of the rest of the soundcape. Trying the voice zoom feature, im somewhat torn. While its supposed to use machine learning now to improve the voice isolation and it does do a much better version than the previous version, it comes at the cost of sounder much more artificially boosted than before. It sounds more like the frequencies voices tend to sit has been raised while the lower end has been lowered rather than any advanced processing to lift voices out of the mix. It definitely works but I do hope that they can somehow work on a version thats more natural and doesnt sound quite as out of place. In conclusion, from a straight audio perspective I think Sony's knocked it out of the park. It's one of if not the best soundbar I've listened to recently and I think it really showcases Sony's current "Cinema is coming home" ethos, I just wish it hadn't come at the cost of the other functionality that Sony has been pretty known for providing.

I thought this small soundbar would not be as powerful as it would be. I was very wrong. For me to explain this for people to understand I hooked it up and used it as is. The theater bar 9 sounds really good, but if you use the app to calibrate the soundbar it becomes a different machine. It was very easy to use. Took no longer than 15 minutes to do. only because I had issues with my wifi router. After the setup I noticed the sound was wayyyy better and it sounded like I was in a bubble. This sound bar has 13 speakers. Some are on top and on the sides they create this bubble effect. The speakers ok top bounce the sound to the ceiling and the side ones to the walls . Then if you're watching a movie or tv show that is dolby atmos you get a more detailed sound . I played my music from Spotify on here and it was just amazing you and use the Spotify app and just select the Sony sound bar as the source to play on. The sound bar was also great for gaming. Especially with the ps5. Now I plugged the ps5 to the soundbar so it can recognize it. I have my headphones but when I'm not in the mood for them I crank the soundbar up. Again it feels like you are in the bubble or like you are actually there .this sound bar is worth it

So if there was a way to go 4.5 stars, that is what I would give it. There is just enough little things, that I can't do 5 starts. But let's get into it. First up, in my setup, this Theater Bar is replacing a previous JVC Soundbar, with Subwoofer. It was time to upgrade, because this is the room with the big 87" TV, and we are watching more and more there, then our theater space (which has the Dolby Atmos already)... so was super excited to put this one in. So to use this the best you need a TV with ARC output on the HDMI, which I already had and knew about... so was ready to rock and role there. So here is the first issue. Setup took WAY WAY too long, for what should have just been a swap of the old bar, with the new one. Why did it take long? Well you have to use an App, to configure and set it up. and to do that you need to setup an account. Sony's account setup was a major drag/pain. Too many prompts, too many questions. I am very adapt to seting up accounts, and mobile apps (I create them for a living), but this one was WAY WAY too clunky, and was really frustrating me. Then after setting up the app, the app then has to connect to the bar, and basically register the BAR. Then the BAR, starts to run a communication test with the TV.. . and that was failing. I ended up having to disconnect the HDMI from both he BAR and the TV, and even then unplug and reboot my TV. then it would FINALLY pass that TV test. This was almost 30 minutes from start to finish. Yes, it is a one time thing, but super annoying and frustrating. After getting that, then there is a series of setup and sound tests (about another 5ish minutes). So from unboxing to ready to watch TV. Once going... Very enjoyable to hear the Dolby Atmos. Did several sample videos, then got into some of my favorite content (like current Disney+ shows), and so much fun to hear the immersive sound. Clear, quality, and just fun to be immersed. The BAR will turn on and off with the TV, so you don't have to fumble with the remote or the app to turn the bar on and off, so that works great. The next nit pick: With my previous bar, volume up on the TV remote, and it would increment the audio on the bar 5% approx. With this bar, it is approx 1% each click, and takes a LONG time to increase or decrease any amount of significants. This is frustrating when shows change volume, not enough to be a deal breaker and could be how it communicates with my LG TV, but just frustrating enough. Lastly, I thought that this 13 speaker bar, would have SOME Base in the bar itself ( I knew it didnt' come with a separate one, and that is what I was hoping for), but the Base quality in the bar itself, is very low. So I will have to eventually add one of the wireless sub-woofers. to get the full sound that I want. So overal, very good quality... some nitpicks, not perfect. But absolutely love the Dolby Atmos and the improved overall sound over my previous JVC... and certainly better then the built in speaker in the TV.

The Sony Bravia Theater Bar 9 (HT-A9000) is the newest iteration of Sony’s line of premium soundbars, and it doesn’t disappoint. After using this soundbar for watching movies, listening to music and gaming, here’s my experience: Design and Form Factor The Theater Bar 9 is designed to be subtle and unobtrusive - it deliberately blends to the background when put next to a TV, and I think that’s how a soundbar should be. The corners are rounded, and most of the surfaces are clad with fabric - giving it a very pleasing feel. Everything is well put together and nothing stands out. Through the top and sides, the 13 speakers, facing different directions, can be made out. There’s no display per se - only a few lights that disappear when they serve their purpose, which makes the presence of this more than 4 feet further invisible. Several times, a few of the friends failed to notice the soundbar and were surprised thinking the TV audio was so good, and I had to correct them and point to the proper source. Connectivity On the HDMI side, the Theater Bar 9 has only 1 in and 1 out which is not the best. However, those HDMI ports are v 2.1, and the output supports eARC. They can pass through 4k@120 from my Xbox Series X with ease. However there are 3.5 mm, Optical or RCA ports to connect legacy audio devices which may be something to look at. However, on the wireless end, Bluetooth codec support for LDAC ensures high fidelity music play, with native support for Spotify Connect and Apple Airplay which is very convenient. The regular run of the mill Bluetooth audio codecs are also supported (SBC, AAC), but there’s no aptX support. All other additional speaker units (subwoofer or real speakers) can be connected wirelessly. With some Bravia TVs, the wired S-Center Out audio port allows using the TV speaker as an additional center speaker (and adds the VoiceZoom functionality) - however my TV didn’t support this. Sound Now the crux of the experience with the Theater Bar 9: the sound quality. And here Sony didn’t disappoint. I’m upgrading from a 3 year old Soundbar system which had a subwoofer, and after setting up, I could hear the sound clarity and crispness is much enhanced. Even without a subwoofer, the Theater Bar 9 sounded well rounded and didn’t fall flat on the bass. For good bass, I still suggest getting a subwoofer, but this is one of the few standalone soundbars where the lack of the subwoofer was not as obvious as I thought. Except for a few “in your face” action movies, I enjoyed my movie nights with my family and friends as before and didn’t think that oh this is missing bass. The 3D immersive sound system, dubbed “Soundfield”, is a mixed bag. In some movies with Dolby Atmos, I could definitely feel the 3D positional i.e. spatial audio in some movie scenes, but not always. I didn’t expect this to blow my mind, so in that sense I was not disappointed. Even though this boasts 13 speakers pointing at every direction (and doing sound optimization based on surroundings), it can’t beat external speakers “physically” located behind the listener or placed on the ceiling. The Soundfield option can be easily toggled on and off with a touch of a button (or a tap on the app). In terms of music, this is not a reference grade hifi speaker system, and from that perspective it’s totally enjoyable. Here turning off Soundfield was the safe bet. I have used the soundbar as a rather loud bluetooth speaker at my home and it worked wonders. Nothing was muffled, the volume was good, and I could definitely feel the richness and depth of the music. Any issues I had were easily solved by EQ. Setup, Control & App Typically setting up and control for a soundbar is rarely a thing of interest unless it refers to a horrible experience. The Theater Bar 9 definitely is not difficult to set up, and nor buggy. However I still was not very happy with the overall experience, due to the Bravia app implementation. The design and functionality of the app has no issues - it’s a standard app with not much fancy features - it helps setup and control the soundbar via the internet which is super convenient. But I could not understand a bit why this needs a Sony online account (or a Playstation account) to do this. I think the account feature should have been optional/opt-in rather than being forced. That alone can be a sore point for not getting this soundbar. Unfortunately some of the options are not changeable with the included remote, and the lack of a display actually acts as a limiting factor here so the app usage can’t be circumvented. I hope Sony listens to this for future iterations. So in essence, this is an almost perfect soundbar available today in the market, except for a few negative issues. I’m enjoying using it, and would’ve been my default recommendation except for the app issue.

Right out of the box you have a 13 speaker dolby atmos surround system with built in subwoofer all in one soundbar. The sound clarity is phenomenal and the easy customization is top notch. This soundbar gives you unbeatable quality and power for the price. This is especially true if you can grab it on sale, or are willing to take advantage of BestBuy open box opportunities. I was able to get mine for $599 plus tax from the Houston area BestBuy outlet store. It was categorized as being "excellent" condition, but was brand new with no damage, no missing parts and no issues whatsoever. If you go for one of the open box options, make sure and price check in person at the store. The "excellent" condition one I was lucky enough to grab was listed at $899.99 on bestbuy.com, but when I got to the outlet store and started talking with them in person I was told that prices in store (at least that outlet) could often be lower than the online listing and lucky me the one they had was avaliable for $599.99+tax. It works incredibly well with my Sony TV (65" BRAVIA XR A80L OLED 4K(2023)) and presumably all other Sony Bravia family products. It is an excellent option for those looking for a mid/upper end sound system. What made it stand out as the best choice for me are the optional addon speakers and subwoofer. Great starter piece of surround sound equipment with easy options for expansion.

I have owned many sound bars over the years, ranging from low-end to high-end. This Bravia theater bar from Sony is among the most expensive I've used, but I found it to be well worth the price when it comes to performance. Over the past few days I've been using it to watch movies, stream TV shows, listen to music over Bluetooth, and have also done some gaming on my Xbox Series X. First, before you buy this, make certain that you have the space for it. It is a very large speaker. If you have a large wall-mounted television, you can mount this speaker below it with the included components. However, if you plan to place it on some form of TV stand or entertainment center, make sure it will fit before buying (it is over 4 feet long). If you choose to, this speaker system is expandable! You can add an optional sub-woofer and/or rear speakers, but I found that for my needs they were not needed as the sound was incredible as-is. I have been watching movies and shows (and playing games) that feature Dolby Atmos audio in order to get a feel for how well this speaker can perform. Most streaming services have Dolby Atmos content that was easy to find. The ability of this soundbar to make you feel like sound is coming from multiple directions was mind-boggling. And the quality of immersion was breathtaking. I think that the 13 mulit-directional speakers included in this soundbar have a lot to do with that. I truly feel like I've got multiple speakers in the room surrounding me, despite all the sound coming from just one large speaker in front of me. I loved that this soundbar has HDMI pass-through so that I could connect my Xbox directly to it, and then output from the soundbar to my television. Many soundbars these days do not have both the HDMI input and output. And if you are like me, and love to play music from your phone while doing chores around the house, this speaker was up to the task. If you have an Apple device you can connect using Apple Airplay, but I used Bluetooth to pair to my Android phone. Music sounded excellent, with strong bass and terrific mids. I also streamed a couple of live concerts and was blown away with how good everything sounded. While this soundbar is certainly not inexpensive, you absolutely get your money's worth. With the theater-like quality sound, I'm looking forward to a cinema experience in my living room for years to come.

I plugged in this sound bar without reading any directions. I unplugged the current sound bar and used the same HDMI cord that’s connected to my tv to connect it. There was nothing else I had to do. The sound the came from it immediately blew me away! Very crisp and clear. You can clearly understand every word that was being spoken. What a spectacular way to enjoy TV. This soundbar will replace my current soundbar. Even though the sound bar I currently have is great, this one is ten times better. It’s so good you don’t even need a subwoofer. If you had this soundbar and I came to your house and you told me there was no subwoofer, I would think that you are telling a lie. Maybe the bass isn’t as deep as it would be with a subwoofer but there’s really no need if you didn’t want to. BUT, I was able to connect my current Sony subwoofer and I had to make sure I wasn’t sitting in a Dolby theatre. No kidding, this sound bar makes you think you’re in the movies. Out of the box. Plug and play. If you're not too deeply into sound, like an audiophile, then you really don't need to change settings. Right out of the box it's ready to go. If you do want to change settings, then you will need to download the Sony Bravia app from the App Store. I had a few issues setting up an account due to me having a Playstation account registered under the same email address. I was eventually able to set up everything and voila, everything can be controlled from your smartphone. The app automatically took me through a series of sound test to make sure I was getting the best sound for the room. It allowed me to connect my subwoofer via bluetooth as well. Then it updated the soundbar's firmware one everything was ready. This is definitely a luxury soundbar and no one will be disappointed with this purchase. The only thing I would have liked is for it to have a screen on the sound bar. But I guess Sony got around that by allowing you to do everything through your smartphone.

Sony home theater products never fail to impress me. This soundbar is a replacement for a Yamaha that was a few years old and I thought was pretty good, and it was, but it does not even compare to this. First off, let me start from the beginning. I even appreciate the boxing and packaging. All arrived in a compact box, no wasted space, and the materials appear to be recycled and recyclable. No packing plastics or styrofoam. I guess I nerd on enviro friendly stuff, sorry. Anyway, unboxing and set up was a breeze. Download the Sony Bravia Connect app and it walks you through set up and location and sound field optimization to assure proper positioning in your space and for your particular needs and usage. Nice! I am still playing around with the different sound settings depending on what I am watching or listening to. Through the app, or the remote, you can adjust the sound profile to the output. There are several pre sets and also customizable adjustments for more bass, treble, background and night modes. In the room I have this set up in, I watch a lot of sporting events, as well as listen to music, from streaming and albums and playlists, to watching live shows and concert recordings. This system, using the 360 Reality Audio setting, provides an amazing clarity of sound and surround experience. It is like a personal concert audio experience. This is my favorite use of this sound system so far. If you are into music and especially high quality audio, this is a great system in a small package. It is just the one sound bar, but clearly packs all the technology and speakers inside. Much easier and user friendly than the older center speaker and satellite speaker systems. I definitely recommend this system!

This comes with 11 speakers and is a good product that might need a separate sub-woofer to really elevate your audio experience. Some important pros: Exceptional audio quality with Dolby Atmos and DTS support. The clarity is awesome and the mid-tones are crisp. Atmos effect can be felt easily. Sleek design that blends well with modern home decor. Easy setup and user-friendly interface. Versatile connectivity options including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. The Bravia Connect app works seamlessly and you will need it to make it work. The spatial sound mapping is true and enhances the experience. The room mapping feature is good. The Voice enhancement feature is crisp and helps if you are watching sports and other specific events. You can toggle through these features using the remote. Cons: A little too pricey. The built-in sub-woofer is good but for a better experience a stand-alone sub-woofer is recommended. The bass is adequate but could have a bigger footprint depending on the needs of the specific consumer. In my testing the sound dropped a few times across a couple of televisions. It happened once every hour and I had to pause the program and unpause it again to make it work. Quite simple but this should be remedied with a software update. Overall, this is a solid buy. The high fidelity sound along with the sleek design makes this a wonderful product for any home. I have to say that if you have never ventured beyond Bose and Sonos, you will be pleasantly surprised by the quality Sony has been offering over the years in their sleek sound bars. I have tried a few of them over the years and apart from the price factor, these have all been top notch. My HT-7000 is still one of my favorites. This one, the Theater Bar 8, is a nice replacement.

Overall: Wow! The sound is amazing. I can actually hear what the actors are saying. And the volume is at normal range. Setup: Easy. I rarely read directions and when I opened the box there was a power cable and a HDMI cable. How hard can it be? It turns out, you do need to the read the directions. It’s the large paper the same color as the packaging, right on top when you open the box. The directions are pictures only. It clearly shows to plug the HDMI cable into the TV HDMI ARC connection, not the HDMI connection. App: Sony Bravia Connect. Installs without issues. Will run through a sound check and set the soundbar up appropriately for your room and where you normally sit in the room. The settings option will allow customization. Size: The soundbar is 52” long and 4.5” wide. Additional: The soundbar is a bit longer than the table my TV sits on. I put the soundbar behind the TV so it would be a better aesthetic. The sound is still incredibly clear. There’s an English TV show I watch and I can clearly hear every word they say. I didn’t have this experience with the previous sound bar I had connected to the TV.

In the box: • Bar speaker • Remote control • 2 AAA Batteries • TV center speaker mode cable • HDMI cable (4K, 8K transmission supported) • AC power cord • Feet • Wall mounting brackets with screws & template Setup: Connected soundbar to HDMI (ARC) port on LG C8PUA 4K UHD TV Setup requires the BRAVIA Connect app and an account with the Sony Home Entertainment & Sound Service. Users should be aware of data and privacy issues related to the associated service agreements. Initial setup efforts (several over 1.5h) stalled after network setup step with a “server unavailable” error. Setup completed as expected the following day. Sound field optimization was guided with the app. It is advised that you remove any case from your phone prior to optimization to prevent any interference with the microphone. Some steps require you to turn the phone so that the microphone is pointed up. The screen prompts conveniently invert so that you can read subsequent instructions. Soundbar Design: There are only two small lights on the front of the unit to indicate its status. The myriad of different color and blinking combinations are impossible to decipher without three pages of information in the Help Guide. The HDMI and power ports are recessed to allow for flush wall mounting. App Design: Aside from the server issue noted above, the app’s setup dialog was straightforward. The app only allows storage of one seating location at a time. Given the limitations of the indicator lights, the app is the only convenient way to determine the status of the soundbar. Operation: While there is a remote, the indicator lights are so cryptic as to make render it useless. The app is needed for almost all operations. Before installing the soundbar, I was able to control my cable box with the LG TV remote. This functionality is retained with another LG TV and Sony soundbar. It is NOT retained with the BRAVIA Theater Bar 8. I now have to use a separate remote to turn on the cable box and change channels. Audio Quality: Once optimized, the simulated surround sound is quite good. The bass is adequate when equalized to its highest level but a subwoofer would be nice addition. The voice enhancement does a very good job of clarifying dialog. Overall: Once optimized, the surround simulation is good. The disabling of my TV remote functionality for cable box power and channel selection is a real inconvenience. Dialog enhancement works very well.

The Bravia Theater Bar 8 has truly impressed me after 24 hours of testing. Straight out of the box, it includes a power plug, HDMI cable, mounting brackets, pegs, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The sound quality is exceptional for a standalone soundbar. One standout feature is its HDMI 2.1 compatibility, which allows it to output 4K at 120Hz (perfect for gamers). It also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, great for both gaming and movie experiences. I connected the Bravia Bar 8 to my LG CX 65-inch TV’s eARC port and my XBox Series X to the soundbar’s HDMI IN port. Watching Bad Boys for Life on 4K Blu-ray was an awesome experience, despite the lack of a subwoofer and rear speakers. The bass is robust yet tempered and the soundstage was is pretty encompassing after calibrating with the Bravia Connect app. The 3D spatial sound mapping worked wonders when watching Stranger Things. I needed to see how it took advantage of Netflix's newly implemented spatial audio feature. Sidebar: Nothing beats the feeling of seeing all those green checks on the Xbox Audio & Visual setting details. Thanks the Bravia Bar 8 for the HDMI 2.1 connection! However, there are some negatives. There is only 1 HDMI-IN connection. While it is not a necessity if your TV has eARC on multiple inputs, 3 is usually what I'd like to see. Also, the cloth mesh material on the speakers tends to collect dust and lacks the easy to clean convenience of a metal grill. However, most frustratingly, the soundbar lacks a comprehensive LED indicator. While there is a small dot LED indicator for Atmos and DTS:X, I need more seeing visibility directly from the bar itself instead of having to reach for my phone. After using my phone all day, I prefer to leave it on the charger when I get home, and during testing, my phone was down to 10% battery. Sony, please address this in next year’s model. The remote is compact but functional, with controls for input, sound field, voice, bass, mute, and night mode. If you have a smart TV from 2016 or newer, you can use its remote for basic soundbar controls via HDMI/ARC technology. Overall, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 delivers warm, room-filling mids and impressive sound dynamics. If you happen to have Bad Boys for Life (IMAX Enhanced) be sure to play the final scene where the Helicopter crashes into the derelict mansion. The glass shattering in that scene is particularly vivid, thanks to the top-firing and wide-angle channels. Priced at $1000, it might appeal more to home theater enthusiasts, but I believe the average TV watcher will be overly very satisfied with its performance (sans sub and rear speakers). I tested it from about 8 1/2 feet away with the volume at 40. At 37 years old, my hearing is decent, so take that into consideration. In conclusion, the Bravia Theater Bar 8 is an excellent choice for anyone seeking high-quality sound without the need for additional subwoofers or rear speakers right away. 4.75/5

The Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is an all-in-one soundbar which has some unique engineering and design qualities which produce an immersive entertainment experience. Able to decode the advanced Dolby Atmos and DTS-X digital output of modern content sources this unit is able to provide an impressive sound field without the need for surround speakers or an external subwoofer (more about that later). The sound bar contains eleven speakers including four front firing woofers, three front tweeters with a dedicated center channel. To provide the surround components there are two side firing speakers and two up-firing speakers (both with are used to mimic a dedicated Dolby Atmos or DTS-X experience usually provided by numerous speakers. The results are fairly impressive for a sound bar, although the bass is not exactly punchy, it does provide good lower end. Given that the built in amplifier provides 495 RMS watts, it is not underpowered or lightweight. The BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is also compatible with specific dedicated wireless Sony subwoofers as well dedicated wireless surround speakers. For my use case, I have two distinct areas where we watch television, one room which is essentially our home theater, with dedicated surrounds, a subwoofer and ceiling firing Dolby Atmos speakers all attached to a dedicated AV Receiver. However, in my living room where the acoustics are not tuned and frankly is not meant to be a home theater I have the venerable Sony HT-CT660 sound bar (which was a monster of a soundbar, when soundbars became a thing). This Sony BRAVIA Theater Bar 8 is an evolutionary solution for everyday television watching or music playback (given that this soundbar is Apple Airplay 2, Bluetooth and Spotify Connect compatible). Setup isn’t overly difficult and by downloading the BRAVIA Connect mobile app the setup process will actually use the microphone on your mobile device to calibrate the unit for optimal configuration based on your typical listening position. Originally, I was not overly impressed by the unit, until I determined that my LG OLED TV was passing PCM digital stream and not set to Auto. Once I set my TV to Auto and the soundbar was able to determine the digital audio stream my TV was feeding it, the performance of the soundbar became really impressive, decoding a Dolby Atmos stream. In addition, the soundbar has a few settings which really are useful, including a late night mode which reduces the dynamic range (also good for apartment dwellers), a woofer setting (three different levels), a Sound field and dialog enhancer feature. Some of these which can be accessed by the provided remote control. However, the Bravia app is best to adjust these settings and I found provided the remote control mostly unnecessary (except to provide to my wife for more basic control of the soundbar). Since this unit is ARC compatible, your TV remote can also be used for basic soundbar control. If you happen to have a Sony Bravia TV you can also use (via the provided cable) the internal TV speakers as a dedicated center channel/dialog speakers. In addition, the Sony Bravia lines of televisions will recognize and display some of the functions on the TV screen. One of the overlooked aspects of a soundbar is its ability to passthrough video streams to other devices via HDMI. This unit is compatible with 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video passthrough with support for Dolby Vision, HLG, and HDR10. The soundbar can also be controlled using Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa device. Overall, this is a very good soundbar and provides a rich audio experience in an integrated all-in-one unit. Pros: - Good immersive surround experience, Dolby Atmos and DTS-X compatible - Decent bass, you can get away without a dedicated subwoofer - Easy setup process via the BRAVIA Connect mobile app - Passthrough capabilities - Expandability within the Sony Home theater ecosystem Cons: - Wish the optional subwoofer was included - No indicator lights other than power on the soundbar. - Only one HDMI eArc and HDMI in port.